What happened to the 151 proposed coal plants?

Beginning around the year 2000, in response to increases in natural gas prices, utilities across the United States began a renewed push to build new coal-fired electricity generating plants and coal-fueld synthetic fuels plants. The National Energy Technology Laboratory, a division of the Department of Energy, issues periodic updates of "Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants," a database of such projects, but that report ceased providing project-specific information after May 2007. The May 2007 list, which showed 151 proposed coal plants, received widespread publicity and helped galvanize the movement for a coal moratorium. As of March 2011, the status of the plants shown on the list was as follows:
 * Cancelled, abandoned, or on hold: 100 projects;
 * Early stages of development: 4 projects;
 * Advanced stages of development: 7 projects;
 * In operation or under construction: 40 projects.

In addition to the 151 proposed coal plants listed in the May 2007 NETL report, 92 additional coal projects have been identified by the Sierra Club, which maintains the "Stopping the Coal Rush" database. As of March 15, 2011, the list included 244 projects:
 * Active: 36 projects;
 * Upcoming: 9 projects;
 * Status uncertain: 18 projects;
 * Cancelled: 152 projects;
 * Progressing: 25 projects.

A table showing the status of proposed plants, and showing the CoalSwarm name for the project and the corresponding Sierra Club name, can be found at Proposed coal plants in the United States.

Information on proposed coal plants outside the United States can be found at Proposed coal plants (international).

The following is the status in November 2009 of the 151 proposed coal plants listed by the May 2007 NETL report:

Cancelled, Abandoned, or on Hold

 * Bethel Power Plant - Alaska
 * Matanuska Power Plant - Alaska
 * Healy Clean Coal Plant - Alaska
 * Kenai Blue Sky Project - Alaska
 * Ray D. Nixon Power Plant - Colorado
 * Unnamed Tri-State Plant - Colorado
 * Unnamed Xcel Energy Plant - Colorado
 * Buick Coal and Power Project - Colorado
 * Indian River - Delaware
 * FPL St. Lucie Plant - Florida
 * Glades - Florida
 * Polk Power Station Unit 6 - Florida
 * Seminole 3 - Florida
 * Stanton Energy Center - Florida
 * Taylor Energy Center - Florida
 * Taylor Energy Center, Alternative Proposal - Florida
 * Idaho Power Company IGCC Proposal - Idaho
 * Soda Springs Power Plant Project - Idaho
 * Dairyland Chickasaw/Mitchell Plant - Iowa
 * LS Power Elk Run Energy Station - Iowa
 * Baldwin Energy Complex - Illinois
 * Fayette County Economic Development Project - Illinois
 * Franklin County Power Plant - Illinois
 * Illinois Energy Group - Illinois
 * Marion Plant - Illinois
 * Marion Gasification Plant - Illinois
 * Elkhart Proposal (Corn Belt) - Illinois
 * Elkhart Proposal (Turris Coal) - Illinois
 * Elmwood Energy Center - Illinois
 * Rentech Energy Midwest Corporation - Illinois
 * Southern Illinois Clean Energy Center - Illinois
 * United Supply of America Coal Plant - Illinois
 * Crossroads Project - Indiana
 * Sullivan County Plant - Indiana
 * Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4 - Iowa
 * Great Plains Energy Plant - Kansas
 * Holcomb Expansion - Kansas
 * Westar Energy - Kansas
 * Kentucky Mountain Power - Kentucky
 * Thoroughbred Generating Station - Kentucky
 * Big Cajun II Unit 4 - Louisiana
 * Little Gypsy Repowering - Louisiana
 * Northern Lights - Michigan
 * Mesaba Energy Project - Minnesota
 * Kemper Project - Mississippi
 * Norborne Baseload Plant - Missouri
 * Bechtel / Kennecot Project - Montana
 * Comanche Park Plant - Montana
 * Highwood Generating Station - Montana
 * Nelson Creek Project - Montana
 * Roundup Coal-to-Liquids - Montana
 * Thompson River Co-Gen - Montana
 * Barrick Gold Plant - Nevada
 * Ely Energy Center, Phase I - Nevada
 * Gerlach Plant - Nevada
 * Toquop - Nevada
 * White Pine Energy Station - Nevada
 * Desert Rock - New Mexico
 * Mustang Energy Project - New Mexico
 * Huntley Generating Station - New York
 * Cliffside second unit - North Carolina
 * South Heart Power Project - North Dakota
 * American Municipal Power Generating Station - Ohio
 * Great Bend IGCC - Ohio
 * Ashtabula IGCC Generating Facility - Ohio
 * Dominion Energy - Ohio
 * First Energy/Consol IGCC - Ohio
 * Lawrence Energy Center - Ohio
 * Lima Energy - Ohio
 * Hugo 2 - Oklahoma
 * LS Power Sequoyah Plant - Oklahoma
 * Red Rock Generating Facility - Oklahoma
 * SynFuel Enid Project - Oklahoma
 * Beech Hollow Energy Project - Pennsylvania
 * Gilberton Coal-to-Clean-Fuels and Power Project - Pennsylvania
 * Unnamed 1000 MW Project - Pennsylvania
 * Enviropower Plant - Pennsylvania
 * River Hill Power Project - Pennsylvania
 * Marion City Project - South Carolina
 * Pee Dee Generating Facility - South Carolina
 * Big Stone II - South Dakota
 * Twin Oaks Power Unit 3 - Texas
 * Intermountain Power Project Unit 3 - Utah
 * Hunter 4 - Utah
 * Sevier Plant - Utah
 * LS Power Sussex proposal - Virginia
 * Pacific Mountain Energy Center - Washington
 * Composite Power Project - Washington
 * Mountaineer - West Virginia
 * Western Greenbrier Co-Production Demonstration Project - West Virginia
 * E.J. Stoneman Expansion - Wisconsin
 * Nelson Dewey Generating Facility - Wisconsin
 * WP&L Portage alternative - Wisconsin
 * Buffalo Energy Project - Wyoming
 * Jim Bridger Unit 5 - Wyoming
 * Gillette Coal-to-Liquids Plant - Wyoming
 * Energy Expediters - Wyoming
 * PacifiCorp Sweetwater Project - Wyoming
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 2 - Wyoming
 * Basin IGCC plant - location undecided

Early Development

 * Power County Advanced Energy Center - Idaho
 * Secure Energy Decatur Gasification Plant - Illinois
 * Estill County Energy Partners - Kentucky
 * Clean Coal Plant Project (Jamestown) - New York

Advanced Development

 * Longleaf - Georgia
 * Taylorville Energy Center - Illinois
 * Cash Creek Generation - Kentucky
 * Trimble County Generating Station 2 - Kentucky
 * Greene Energy Resource Recovery Project - Pennsylvania
 * Limestone 3 - Texas
 * Medicine Bow Plant - Wyoming

Operating or in Construction

 * Hempstead - Arkansas
 * Plum Point Energy Station - Arkansas
 * Springerville Generating Station Unit 3 - Arizona
 * Springerville Generating Station Unit 4 - Arizona
 * Lamar Light & Power / Arkansas River Power Authority - Colorado
 * Comanche Generating Station Unit 3 - Colorado
 * FPL Crystal River - Florida
 * Northside Generating Station - Florida
 * Council Bluffs Energy Center Unit 4 - Iowa
 * Dallman Unit 4 - Illinois
 * Prairie State Energy Campus - Illinois
 * Edwardsport Plant - Indiana
 * Spurlock Power Station Unit 3 - Kentucky
 * Spurlock Power Station Unit 4 - Kentucky
 * Rodemacher Unit 3 - Louisiana
 * AES Warrior Run - Maryland
 * Red Hills Power Project - Mississippi
 * Iatan 2 - Missouri
 * Southwest Power Station Unit 2 - Missouri
 * Hardin Generating Station - Montana
 * Nebraska City Station Unit 2 - Nebraska
 * Whelan Energy Center Unit 2 - Nebraska
 * TS Power Plant - Nevada
 * Spiritwood Industrial Park - North Dakota
 * Haverhill Cogeneration Station - Ohio
 * Seward Power Plant - Pennsylvania
 * Cross Generating Station Unit 3 & Unit 4 - South Carolina
 * Oak Grove Plant - Texas
 * Sandow Unit 5 - Texas
 * Sandy Creek Plant - Texas
 * Spruce Unit 2 - Texas
 * Wise County Plant - Virginia
 * Longview - West Virginia
 * Oak Creek 1 - Wisconsin
 * Oak Creek 2 - Wisconsin
 * Weston Unit 4 - Wisconsin
 * Dry Fork Station - Wyoming
 * Wygen Unit 2 - Wyoming
 * Wygen Unit 3 - Wyoming
 * Two Elk Energy Park Unit 1 - Wyoming

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Proposed coal plants - 300+ projects in 26 countries
 * Category:Proposed coal plants in the United States
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2007
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2008
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2009
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2010
 * Coal plants cancelled in 2011

External resources

 * Coal Moratorium Now!
 * "Stop the Coal Rush," Sierra Club database of proposed coal plants in the U.S.